The Metaphysics of Theism Aquinas's Natural Theology in Summa Contra Gentiles I

by Kretzmann, Norman

• ISBN13: 9780199246533
• ISBN10: 019924653X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-07
• Publisher: Clarendon Press

Summary

The Metaphysics of Theism is the definitive study of the natural theology of Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of medieval philosophers, written by one of the world's most eminent scholars of medieval thought. Natural theology is the investigation by analysis and rational argument of fundamental questions about reality, considered in relation to God. Professor Kretzmann shows the continuing value of Aquinas's doctrines to the philosophical enterprise today; he argues that natural theology offers the only route by which philosophers can, as philosophers, approach theological propositions, and that the one presented in this book is the best available natural theology.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations	xii
Introduction	1	(1)
Aims of this book	1	(2)
Attitudes toward natural theology	3	(2)
Alston on natural theology	5	(4)
'The Reformed Objection to Natural Theology'	9	(11)
Conclusion	20	(3)
Theology from the Bottom Up	23	(31)
Theology and Philosophy	23	(2)
Theology in Philosophy	25	(2)
Aquinas's work	27	(2)
ST and catholica veritas	29	(3)
ST and sacra doctrina	32	(7)
Sacra doctrina and natural theology	39	(4)
The purpose of SCG	43	(4)
The pedagogical motivation for SCG	47	(4)
Summa philosophica	51	(3)
The God of the Self-Movers	54	(30)
The place of existence arguments in natural theology	54	(1)
How Aquinas sets the stage for natural theology in SCG	55	(5)
The arguments for God's existence in SCG 1.13	60	(4)
The structure of G2	64	(1)
The stages of G2	65	(19)
The Existence of Alpha	84	(29)
Orientation	84	(2)
How to proceed	86	(2)
How Aquinas proceeds in SCG	88	(2)
Two presuppositions of Aquinas's procedure	90	(1)
A Third presupposition: the eliminative method	91	(4)
The existence of Alpha	95	(18)
From Independence to Perfection	113	(26)
Reorientation	113	(3)
The eliminative method and argument G6	116	(1)
Applying the results of the eliminative method to Alpha generally	117	(4)
Eliminating the distinction between Alpha's nature and being	121	(7)
The metaphysics of Exodus	128	(1)
Alpha's separateness, God's transcendence	129	(2)
Perfection	131	(7)
Concluding observations	138	(1)
From Perfection to Infinity	139	(30)
Methodology	139	(1)
The extensive aspect of absolute perfection	140	(2)
The introduction of terminological sameness	142	(2)
Likeness and agent causation generally	144	(3)
Univocal and equivocal causation	147	(3)
The sun as an equivocal cause	150	(4)
God as partly univocal, partly equivocal cause	154	(4)
Goodness, uniqueness, and infinity	158	(2)
God's uniqueness	160	(5)
God's infinity	165	(4)
Intellect	169	(28)
Simplicity and other attributes	169	(4)
Intellect's place in the extensive aspect of universal perfection	173	(2)
Intellectivity, reason, and wisdom	175	(6)
The argument from perfection	181	(3)
The intellectivity argument	184	(10)
Behind the scenes of the intellectivity argument	194	(3)
Will	197	(29)
Will and personhood	197	(2)
The universal appetite for good	199	(2)
Will as intellective appetite for what is good	201	(2)
Arguments from intellect	203	(5)
Will, goodness, and freedom	208	(5)
Determinate, static, choiceless volition in God	213	(4)
God's willing of other things	217	(3)
Freedom of choice and motives for choosing	220	(3)
The Dionysian principle and the necessitarian explanation of creation	223	(3)
Joy, Love, and Liberality	226	(29)
Passions and attitudes	226	(5)
Intellective attitudes	231	(1)
God's pleasure and joy	232	(6)
God's love	238	(12)
God's liberality	250	(5)
Appendix I: A Chronology of Aquinas's Life and Works	255	(8)
Appendix II: A Table Indicating the Correspondence between Sections of Chapters of SCG I in the Pera (Marietti) Edition and the Pegis Translation	263	(8)
References	271	(6)
Index Iocorum	277	(8)
General index	285